Have a Happy Warehouse Holiday
by steampunk-archer
Summary: It's the first Christmas at the Warehouse without Leena, the rest of the team has started the healing process, Artie though needs a little more help.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Have a Happy Warehouse Holiday

Disclaimer: Warehouse 13 does not belong to me, if it did Artie would not have been an idiot and broken up with Vanessa.

"Deck the halls with boughs of holly…." Pete sang at the top of his lungs as he helped his partner Myka decorate the large evergreen tree that was in the center of the living room at Leena's bed and breakfast . Pete and Steve had brought it home for Claudia to try and cheer her up.

He stopped and looked at Myka. "wait a minute." he got a thoughtful look on his face. "what the heck is a bough?"

Myka sighed as she set a large box of decorations on a nearby table. "it's a tree branch, Pete." she explained.

"well then why not say tree branch?" he replied, throwing tinsel in big handfuls on the tree.

"cause then it would sound weird." Steve said as she came into the room carrying a plate of cookies. " besides Bough is what they called it back in ye olden days; when boss man was just a wee little boy." he smirked.

Since the day that the plague had been unleashed and Claudia had had to stab Artie to save him she had been un Claudia like. The junior agent had spent every single moment with Artie at the hospital, waiting for him to wake up. She took it upon herself to look after Artie.

The team had wanted to call Vanessa but Artie had made them promise not to; he still thought that staying away from her would protect her.

Not wanting to upset him, as he was very weak, his family had begrudgingly agreed to not call the good doctor.

Pete looked longingly at the cookies. "um… cookie?"

Myka rolled her eyes and Steve smirked. "Go ahead, I know they might not be as good as Leena's or even Artie's but I gave it a shot."

Pete snatched up a cookie. "chocolate, chocolate chip." he took a bite and tried his best to hide his gag reflex.

"mmmm, good." he lied and swallowed.

Steve wasn't fooled. "I bet if we let you make the cookies they wouldn't have made it to the oven." it wasn't said in anger just in a friendly jest.

"hey, I wait until my cookies or fueled baked, any other way is just wrong." the other man replied.

"stop arguing children." came a voice from the top of the stairs. The team looked up to see Vanessa head down to join them.

Claudia had invited the older woman; going against Artie's wishes.

Vanessa finished tying the warm looking forest green scarf around her neck. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this cold."

Myka nodded. She was about to say something when the door opened and the wind howled outside. "would you stop rushing me." Artie told Claudia as she tried to usher him into the waiting warmth of the B&B.

Claudia closed the door behind them. "well I don't want you to get worse, your still recovering."

Artie knew she was telling the truth, he didn't feel like himself; even after these past months. "I feel so old." he said to no one in particular.

"Uh, ya kinda are old." Pete chimed in.

"Pete!" Myka berated him and elbowed him in the ribs. "ow."

Artie scowled at the younger man and shooed Claudia's hand away as she tried to help him take off his coat. "I'm a grown man, I can take off my own coat, Claudia."

Claudia made a face. "well excuse me for wanting to help, Mr. Grumpy Greybeard." she replied as she hung up the coat she'd gotten him two father's days prior.

"Artie." Vanessa stepped forward.

"Vanessa!" said a shocked Artie at seeing her standing in the middle of the B&B's living room.

"Vanessa didn't have any plans for the holidays so we invited her here." Claudia supplied.

Myka could see that Artie was going to blow his top; she decided to try and deflect his anger.

"We thought having Vanessa here would help you."

"You invited her here after I told you I didn't want you to?" he said to the girls angrily. Steve and Pete had left back into the kitchen.

Vanessa came to the younger women's defense; stepping between Artie and Myka.

"Don't you get angry with them." she told him sternly.

The senior agent was taken aback by her reaction. "I…I …didn't" he stammered

Vanessa reminded him of a mother bear protecting her cubs.

Artie sputtered a moment. "Vanessa.. I stand by what I said before."

Anger and just a little bit of hurt flashed in her eyes. "so do I."

"Uh, lets go help the guys in the kitchen." Myka said pulling Claudia with her towards the kitchen.

Artie couldn't take his eyes away from Vanessa. He's missed her so much and had wanted to call her so many times but he was just to afraid that somehow he would hurt her.

"Artie." her voice softened and she placed a hand on his arm. "lets talk."

Artie shook his head.

"it wasn't a question." there was that flash of anger again.

Artie obliged and sat down next to her on the couch.

"Artie." Vanessa said calmly "if you don't talk to someone about what happened, your pain will destroy you."

Artie swallowed hard. "destroy, thats a rather harsh word." he joked.

He fidgeted with his hands. "Ok, your not laughing."

Artie let out a frustrated sigh.

"Vanessa, the things I did….I don't deserve to heal…I don't deserve all of you." tears welled up in his eyes.

"It should have been me, I could see what I was doing but I couldn't stop myself." the tears fell freely down his cheeks.

Vanessa hugged Artie and tried her best to comfort him. "It should have been me, not her, it should have been me." he sobbed into her shoulder.

The rest of the team poked their heads into the living room, surprised and concerned about their boss. Vanessa shooed them away with a flick of her hand.

"It's ok Artie, everything is going to be ok." she told him; tears welling up in her own eyes. "It will be fine, I promise you that." she broke their embrace and looked at him, wiping the tears from his eyes with her thumb.

"your family will help you Artie, we will all be here to help you through this."

The old man shook his head. "No, it will never be the same. Brother Adrian was right along, I will live the rest of my days with that evil..knowing that I killed a sweet, young woman and almost wiped out half of humanity."

Vanessa placed a hand on his cheek. "Leena would want you to move on, she loved you, we all love you."


	2. Chapter 2: Christmas time is here

Chapter two: Christmas time is here

Disclaimer: see previous chapter

since Vanessa had come to visit Artie had changed considerably. He was happier and less grouchy; much to the teams happiness

Vanessa had not only helped Artie heal physically but emotionally.

It was finally Christmas and as usual Pete was the first to wake up. "Mykes!" he banged on her door. "come on Mykes, it's Christmas morning!"

Myka opened the door to her bedroom. "Okay, Okay, jeez your worse then a little kid."

The brunette wore black weat pants and a forest green tee shirt.

"you start breakfast and I'll wake everyone else up." Pete exclaimed and dashed off down the hall towards Claudia's room.

As soon as he knocked on the door it flung open to reveal Claudia wearing grey sleep shorts and a white tank top. "way ahead of you, Pete." she said with a smirk and stepped into the hallway. "I need coffee before we dig into the presents."

Pete nodded and went to the room that Artie was staying at so he could be closer to Vanessa.

"Artie, old boy, rise and shine." he knocked once but there was no answer. "Artie, it's Christmas morning!" still no answer.

"Yo Artemis, I know your not the fastest guy on the planet but your starting to worry me." Pete called after knocking on the door a few more times.

Finally, after a few seconds wait the door opened a crack and Artie poked his head out. "I'm coming." he closed the door again and while Pete waited just a bit longer Artie came out. He was dressed in grey sweatpants and a black t shirt.

"Ok, Ok, please tell me there is coffee and breakfast."

Pete nodded. "Yup, Myka is making breakfast and Clauds got coffee brewing.." Pete stopped when Vanessa came out of Artie's room. "uh…" was all the agent could articulate.

"Merry Christmas Pete." the doctor said with a smile.

Pete seemed frozen to the spot. Vanessa was wearing one of Artie's blue dress shirts;,it covered her completely and hung loosely on her slim frame.

"uh… Merry Christmas." Pete managed to say.

He ran downstairs to Myka and Claudia, Steve was already there having started breakfast soon after Myka arrived in the kitchen.

"guys, you won't believe what I saw. Vanessa spent the night in Artie's room.. she's wearing one of his shirts and nothing else"

Myka nodded as she flipped a pancake. "yeah so, they are both adults who love each other Pete, what did you think they were doing?"

Pete stuck out his tongue as Claudia laughed at him. "thats like walking in on your parents…" he didn't finish his sentence. "yuck, I don't need that in my head."

He shook his head and gagged.

Claudia rolled her eyes. "I think it's cute, Artie is happy and thats all I care about."

"Yeah, I guess," Pete said. "yum, bacon." he said as Steve heaped the breakfast meat onto a plate.

After breakfast the small family was gathered around the Christmas tree, Vanessa had changed before breakfast so as not to..upset Pete.

"I have a gift for you, Vanessa." Artie said after he took a sip of his coffee. "something I've wanted to give you for a long time."

Vanessa smiled which made Artie smile.

"I wonder what it could be."

Artie, who was sitting next to his girlfriend, handed her a small, brightly wrapped box.

Vanessa's eyes lit up when she opened it. "Oh Artie." she exclaimed. "It's wonderful, I love it." she held up the small bike bell for the rest of the team to see. "This means so much to me, thank you." she kissed him.

Claudia squealed and whipped out her cell phone to take a picture. "aw, thats adorable."

"You have to send that to me." Pete told her. "gonna use that as my caller ID for the old boy."

Artie sighed. " please excuse the children, my dear."

Vanessa laughed. "I always do." she kissed Artie again. "anyway, I think it's cute; you know they tease you cause they love you."

Artie nodded. "I suppose."

he smiled at her. "I'm so glad your here Vanessa. "

the doctor took Artie's hand and smiled back. "so am I Artie, so am I."

A/N: thats it, just a sweet little Christmas fix, please review if you liked or didn't like it; but remember it's the holidays so some nice reviews would be a great gift :)


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